Vibration dampener for vehicle drive shaft housing



April 26, 1955 R. w. BURTON 2,707,032

VIBRATION DAMPENER OR VEHICLE DRIVE SHAFT HOUSING Filed Jan. 16. 1951 lin. .il Hai.;

nnentor (Ittomeg l United States Patent Oiee 2,707,032 Patented Apr. 26, 1955 VIBRATION DAMPENER FR VEHICLE DRIVE SHAFT HOUSING Robert W. Burton, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation Application January 16, 1951, Serial No. 206,244 5 Claims. (Cl. 1811-64) relates to vibration d ampers and parlong engine long transmission, an undesirable vibration (apparently a function of beam-wise flexure of the power unit) has been found to occur at the rear end of the transmission producing an objectionable rumble during vehicle operation. This condition is further agravated in the case of those vehicles having the front unirear end of such advantages of the ree-point mounting are maintained without the objectionable rumble in operation.

I have chosen for purposes of illustration 5 and an X-member designated generally at 6, the two forwardly extending legs 7 and 8 of the frame 1 are secured together ner as by welding, bolting etc.

18. Bolts 20 and 22 securing the engine, housings together, be provided.

shaft extension other means may transmission and although, of course,

to the frame 1, and to eliminate or at least eiectively damp this vibration I have provided a device to be now on diametrically h which pass The lowdepending embossment passage of a further depending member 46. The bottom face 48 of the embosser bracket 34 is formed with a 44 apertured for shown as a bolt described and illustrated a preferred form of my invention as applied to the power unit of an automotive vehicle, it will be understood, of course, that the same may take other forms coming within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In an automotive vehicle having a frame including longitudinal side sills interconnnected by an X-member with the adjacent legs at one end the X-member nterthe legs of said X-rnember opposite said cross member, combination an engine, a rotating power shaft operasaid weight having aligned upwardly and downwardly tively connected to said engine, said shaft having a lonpresenting pockets formed in its top and bottom faces gitudinal axis, an elongated housing for said shaft, said and an interconnecting aperture, resilient cushions seated housing being supported at one end by said engine, the in said pockets and having apertures aligned with said in- 5 other end of said housing being unsupported to provide terconnecting aperture, a member extending through said an elongated cantilevered end portion, said shaft being apertures and holding said cushions compressed against journalled in the unsupported end of said housing therethe. bottoms of said pockets, and a bracket clamped about by subjecting a part of said housing to radial vibrations, said housing and secured to the upper end of said member. and means for damping the vibrations of said housing,

2. In a vehicle power transmitting mechanism includsaid means including a supporting member attached to ing in combination an engine, a propeller shaft operathe part of said housing subjected to said vibrations, a tively connected to said engine and subject to unbalanced substantially fiat weight spaced radially from said housradial forces, said shaft having a longitudinal axis, an ing and a resilient connection between said weight and elongated housing for said propeller shaft, said housing said supporting member, said resilient connection having being supported at one end by said engine, the other end a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to said of said housing being unsupported to provide an elonshaft axis and said connection tending to maintain the gated cantilevered end portion, said shaft being capable substantially flat weight in perpendicular relation to the of transmitting radial forces to said unsupported end of axis of the resilient connection. said housing to thereby subject a part of said housing to 5. In a power transmitting mechanism including in radial vibrations, a supporting member attached to the combination an engine, a rotating Power shaft opera' part of said housing subjected to said vibration, a weight, tively connected to said engine, an elongated housing for and a resilient connection between said weight and said said shaft, said housing being supported at one end by supporting member, said connection having a longitudi- Said engine, the Other end of Said housing being unsupnal axis and permitting said weight to oscillate about ported, Said Shaft retatively engaging the unsupported the axis of said resilient connection under forces transend of Said housing thereby subjecting a Part of Said mitted through said supporting member at a fundamental housing to radial vibrations, and means for dampening frequency near the frequency of said housing vibrations the Vibrations of Said housing, said means inciuding a whereby energy is exchanged between said housing and Supporting member attached lo the Part 0f Said hOuSiug said weight to thereby substantially eliminate the vibrasubjected tu Said vibrations, a Substantially flat weight tion of said housing. spaced radially from said housing, and a resilient connec- 3. In a power transmitting mechanism including in tion between said weight and said supporting member, combination an engine, a rotating power shaft subject to said resilient connection having a longitudinal axis subunbalanced radial forces, said shaft having a longitudinal Stantiaiiy perpendicular to Said shaft axis and said conaxis, an elongated housing for said rotating shaft, said nection tending to maintain the substantially flat weight in housing being supported at one end by said engine, the perpendicular relation to the axis of the resilient conother end of said housing being unsupported to provide nection, Said Weight having a Plane 0f Symmetry passing an elongated cantilevered end portion, said shaft being through the aXiS of Said reSiieut Connection and the loncapable of transmitting radial forces to said unsupported gltudlnai aXis of said shaft and being asymmetrical about end of said housing to thereby subject part of said hous. a second plane containing the axis of said connection ing to radial vibrations, and means for damping vibraand normal to said Piane of symmetrytion of said housing, said means including a substantially flat weight, said weight being spaced radially from said References Cited in thc hic of this Patent housing and having oppositely-disposed faces with an UNITED STATES PATENTS interconnecting aperture perpendicular to said shaft axis, resilient cushions having apertures aligned with said in- 1,638,782 Palou Aug. 9, 1927 terconnecting aperture, a pivot member extending 1,319,665 WiltSe Aug. 18, 1931 through said apertures and holding said cushions com- 1,855,570 EdlSOn Apr. 26, 1932 pressed against said oppositely-disposed faces, and a 1,917,894 MaePheYSOn July 11, 1933 bracket clamped about said housing adjacent to said un- 2,022,102 Ambal Nov. 26, 1935 supported end and secured to said member. 2,271,935 Buchanan et a1- b 3, 1942 e 4. In a power transmitting mechanism lncluding in 2,328,518 Wahlberg et a1 Aug- 31, 1943 

